Exterior scenes were only filmed on clear, sunny days. When the weather was overcast, the crew would wait for the sun to come out or shoot a scene inside the 'Dome' instead.
When production finished, the BBC had commissioned a total of 367 episodes, enough for every day of the year. It was decided that, as the target audience changes so quickly, more episodes were not needed.
The popular series gained some notoriety in 1999 when American cleric Jerry Falwell alleged that Tinky Winky was a gay role model for children. Falwell based this theory on the character's purple color and his triangular antenna. Apparently, the color purple and the triangle are sometimes used as symbols of the Gay Pride movement.
See-Saw (1997) was unexpectedly controversial. Many parents complained that the bear and lion sketch frightened their young children due to the animals' appearance and the scary dialogue, music, and voices. The episode was banned in some countries, and a more humorous, light-hearted bear and lion sketch was created. The new sketch first appeared in Asian Storyteller (The Fox) (2001).
"Teletubbies Say 'Eh-oh!'", a single based on the show's theme song, reached number 1 in the UK singles chart in December 1997, selling well over a million copies.